Thursday, 16 May 2013

DIY Weapons In Syria - The DIY Grenade Launcher

During the Syrian conflict certain weapons have become mainstays for the Syrian opposition. DIY mortars, rockets, pipe-bombs, and catapults are now regularly featured in videos posted by Syrian opposition groups, and recently one new DIY weapon has emerged that seems to be becoming a new favourite among Syrian opposition fighters

This video shows a DIY grenade launcher, a modified shotgun, in action. A cup has been added to the end of the shotgun, into which pipe-bombs are loaded, lit, and then launched using a modified shotgun cartridge. This gives the pipe-bomb a much greater range, without the need to carry around giant slingshots, as demonstrated below

As this following video demonstrates the DIY grenade launcher isn't always the most reliable of weapon, and a misfire can require a rapid response

Despite the risks, an increasing number of videos from across the country have been posted showing various version of this new DIY weapon being used, and it's now fair to say that these have joined DIY rockets, mortars, pipe-bombs, and catapults as one of the more popular DIY weapons used by the opposition.